Hamilton County Councilman Mark Hall’s April Timesheet

Welcome to The Timesheet. This column is a report of work done on behalf of the people of Hamilton County. It’s to be informative, too – a place to learn about projects and how our county government works.

As your employee, it’s important to me that you know what is being worked on as transparently as possible in county government. You hired me as your County Councilman, and my hope is that you will choose to be informed by regularly reading this column, getting involved, considering volunteering, and by asking questions.

Council meetings are at 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month at the Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center in downtown Noblesville. Meetings are also available to watch online for those unable to attend in person.

Here is where my time this past month has been spent.

In addition to the County Council public meetings, April work included: watching Board of Commissioners’, Cicero Town Council, and Noblesville City Council public meetings; a Council Executive Session; meeting with the Hamilton County Health Department Administrator Jason LeMaster reviewing his department’s annual roadmap plan; meeting with the Commissioners’ Director of Administration; and attending the quarterly Cicero Hamilton County update session.

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The in-person April Personnel Committee meeting was canceled and replaced with a poll of committee members.

Human Resources requested approval to hire a Benefits Manager at a level above the recommended formula compensation. After analyzing the request, discussing it, and reviewing the candidate’s experience as it related to the role, a majority of members voted not to recommend the higher level. That recommendation went to the full council, which approved the lower pay rate, saving several thousand dollars.

The Finance Committee and Insurance Committee did not meet in April. April work included preparing and approving budget instructions for department heads.

With the county’s revenue outlook shifting over the next few years – from property tax to local income tax – I am advocating a conservative approach to cost containment. Given the uncertainty, I am inclined to slow the creation of new positions. However, because the state is adding two new courts, we must fund the required staffing. If judicial services designate both as major felony courts, the added staff costs are estimated at $2.4 million per year.

I also expect the legislature to further revise SEA 1 before we develop the 2028 budget so long-term planning is like trying to nail Jell-O to the wall.

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During April I received four constituent service requests and communications.

Again this month, families living near the intersection of Pleasant Street and Cherry Tree Road contacted me regarding the speed limit along Cherry Tree Road and its intersection with the new Pleasant Street Parkway. This month the speed limit was lowered to 35 mph along Cherry Tree Road from 171^st Street to Pleasant Street. This is a direct result of multiple families reporting concerns, working with local elected officials, a highway department that conducted testing and then recommending to the Board of Commissioners that the speed be reduced, and they took action to do so. Two of the families wrote thank-you notes for the change with one family reminding me that road repair remains an outstanding issue. I spoke with the Highway Department Director Brad Davis and was encouraged to learn that this stretch of road is on the list of future repairs. Stay tuned.

Another request concerned down utility lines in Jackson Township. After some research, the constituent was connected to the local authorities with zoning and planning jurisdiction over the area to resolve the issue with the responsible utility company.

A third request arrived from the daughter of an elderly Cicero couple whose yard was left in disarray from a county construction project. After research and speaking with County Engineer Joel Thurman I came to understand that the contractor responsible has had a few similar complaints. These will be addressed specifically in the punchlist of work prior to the final project release.

The final message I received questioned the need for the Judicial Center expansion. With Hamilton County’s low crime rate, why spend $70 million to expand and renovate the building? It’s a fair question. The facility was completed in 1992 when the county’s population was about 121,000. Today we exceed 390,000 residents, and demand for county services has grown accordingly. Current caseloads have each judge handling the workload of more than two judges under typical conditions. Space needs have also increased across our 27 departments, and the 34-year-old building faces the wear and limitations you would expect. The project will add seven courtrooms to help address the thousands of pending cases. While crime rates per 100,000 residents have declined, civil filings have increased: business disputes, family law matters, property and employment cases, and contract litigation. And even with a lower rate, the total number of cases rises as the population grows. In short, it’s time. We have people sharing cubicles and working in challenging situations. The county has even had to lease space to accommodate our workforce.

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Of special note this month was a review of the Auditor’s monthly report. Each month I receive a detailed report on the county’s general fund financial shape. The information includes all the County General Fund budgeted amounts by account along with year-to-date spending and pro-forma against budget. It’s a great tool to review how we are performing against expected revenue and expenses by department and fund. I’m happy to report that the fiscal health of the county remains strong, and even though as citizens we can generally feel that things are okay, it’s reassuring to have the data, review it, and know in your knower that things are okay.

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This is my timesheet. This is where my time went during April 2026. While my job is primarily the financial oversight of the county budget, it is important that I understand the Board of Commissioners’ priorities and balance them with the stewardship of taxpayer dollars. That is the job, and I am excited to do the people’s business.

As a taxpayer myself, and listening to so many of you, our employers, it’s important for the taxpayers to have access to all the information you want. I work for you, and although you may not choose to do a deep dive into what your County Council does, it’s important that you can always do so.

Feel free to contact me at (317) 832-1104 or mark.hall@hamiltoncounty.in.gov with questions, feedback, or if you would like to talk about county business.